WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Top star joins SmackDown, John Cena's next opponent revealed, Latest on Liv Morgan's return, and more

Welcome to the WWE News and Rumor Roundup for 17th May 2025. Today, we'll cover various topics from John Cena's next opponent to Liv Morgan's return to the promotion. Plus, a top star's arrival on Friday Night SmackDown, Jeff Cobb's new name, and Dominik Mysterio's impromptu challenge.

Let's begin:

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#5 Jeff Cobb gets a new name on WWE SmackDown

Earlier this month, Jeff Cobb confirmed his signing with the Stamford-based promotion when he appeared alongside Solo Sikoa at Backlash 2025. The two helped Jacob Fatu retain the United States Championship in a Fatal Four-Way match in Missouri.

In the recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Jeff Cobb's new name was confirmed when he was referred to as JC by Sikoa. Later, Cobb had a one-on-one match against LA Knight, and it was officially confirmed that Cobb will now go by JC Mateo.

In the end, Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu's appearance distracted The Megastar, and Mateo capitalized by hitting his finishing move for the win. JC had a terrific start on the brand with a win over the former United States Champion.

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#4 Dominik Mysterio calls out absent WWE star for a match

The current Intercontinental Champion, Dominik Mysterio, had been making a few bold claims and recently called out Omos for a one-on-one match. In an interview with Jim Varsallone, Dirty Dom claimed he's a better wrestler than The Nigerian Giant and wouldn't mind stepping in the ring with him.

"Are you kidding me? There's a reason Omos is wrestling right now. If not, you would've seen him playing in the NBA or something, but the man is over here wrestling. I'll tell you this much: put me in a one-on-one match with Omos, and I'll show you why that dude is wrestling. I don't care if he's eight feet tall," Mysterio said.

It's been a while since Omos was last seen on television, and maybe this brings him back to the weekly product.

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#3 Major update on Liv Morgan's return to WWE

Last month, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made history as the first team to hold the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship on four occasions. However, the former Women's World Champion went on a hiatus from the Stamford-based promotion to film a movie in Japan.

According to a report from PWInsider, one-half of the Women's Tag Team Champions is slated to return very soon to the weekly product. The source also claims she "crushed" her first dramatic role in the upcoming project and impressed many along the way in the industry.

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#2 John Cena's next opponent confirmed for WWE Saturday Night's Main Event

Earlier this month, John Cena had his first successful defense as the Undisputed WWE Champion against Randy Orton in Missouri. However, he upset many after the event when he put R-Truth through a table during the post-show press conference at Backlash.

In the recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown, R-Truth addressed the attack and revealed he got a match against his "childhood" hero in Florida at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. It'll be interesting to see if Truth can bring Cena back to his senses.

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#1 Giulia officially joins WWE SmackDown

Last year, Giulia signed with the Stamford-based promotion and joined the developmental brand. She quickly rose to the top and won the NXT Women's Championship. After she lost the title to Stephanie Vaquer, The Beautiful Madness made appearances on Monday Night RAW alongside Roxanne Perez.

Today, Nick Aldis confirmed that Giulia has officially signed with the blue brand. Later, the former NXT Women's Champion addressed the move and sent a bold message on X (formerly Twitter).

The annual draft is around the corner, and one could expect more new names to join the main roster in the coming weeks.